York SPCA History

history

The York County SPCA was founded in 1926. The York County SPCA is an independent humane organization with no affiliation with other organizations including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

In the early years the YCSPCA operated from downtown York and had very little facilities to house animals. After WWII the YCSPCA relocated to Lincoln Highway (RT30) west of York City and occupied a residential building with a few exterior kennels. Early meeting minutes of the organization are located in the archives of the York Historical Society.

The YCSPCA purchased 10 acres in Thomasville on the northern boundary of the Thomasville Airport. The YCSPCA broke ground on a snowy day in 1968 to build our first facility that was actually designed to care for animals. Over the next 30 years we simply outgrew the capacity of this facility.

In September 2005 the YCSPCA began construction of the Brougher Companion Animal Shelter. The architect for this facility was TranSystems and the general contractor was Kinsley Construction. Tom Norris, who was the Board Chairman for the YCSPCA is shown hosting the groundbreaking ceremony.

In June of 2006, The York County SPCA realized a long time goal of opening a new facility. The new 17,000 square ft. shelter is conveniently located at 3159 Susquehanna Trail North, York, Pa 17406. The new building allows us to house and care for a significantly larger amount of animals than at our previous facility. A new veterinary wing was also added to treat sick and injured animals and to provide spay/neuter services for our shelter pets and for the public.

In 2009 we added a second surgery to alleviate the pressure created by the 5,000 spay neuter procedures we completed in 2009. Until the breeding of feral cats, puppy mills and pit bulls can be controlled, we can not succeed in finding a home for every animal in York County.

Please visit our shelter where our staff and volunteers will welcome you to visit with the 400 cats and 100 dogs who are waiting for you. The best pets you will ever have are rescued from shelters because they know what a good home can be.